Economy
6.6 Million Americans Applied For Unemployment Last Week
6,648,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the last week of March as the coronavirus pandemic threatens the sustainability of businesses across the country, according to a report released by the Labor Department Thursday.
“Similar to last week’s unemployment claims numbers, today’s report reflects the sacrifices American workers are making for their families, neighbors, and country in order to ‘slow the spread.’ The Administration continues to act quickly to address this impact on American workers,” Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said in a statement Thursday.
The statement continued, “That includes a rule the Labor Department adopted yesterday to implement the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and the Department’s work with the States to make available the enhanced unemployment benefits provided in the CARES Act, which the President signed last week. That legislation also contains significant incentives for businesses to retain workers and continue paying them, which will put businesses and workers in a better position to resume work and re-boot the economy once the virus is contained.”
In the previous week, there were 3,341,000 claims. The latest number of jobless Americans marks the “highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series,” according to the report.
Economy
2024 Presidential Election Details Unprecedented Diversity Shift in Republican Party
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election, NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki highlighted how the Republican Party has become “more diverse than it’s ever been in modern times.” Kornacki shared this insight on Meet The Press with Kristen Welker, explaining how data shows minority groups have increasingly moved toward the GOP, while the Democratic base has grown among white, college-educated voters.
Kornacki credited Trump’s impact on reshaping the Republican Party, noting that over the past eight years, the GOP has gained ground among voters under 30, those earning under $50,000, and those without college degrees. Using a screen to display recent election data, Kornacki compared shifts from the “pre-Trump” era in 2012 to now, showing a significant increase in support for Republicans among minority groups.
“Again, pre-Trump versus now,” he explained. “The Black vote is still overwhelmingly Democratic, but there’s been a 15-point shift. It used to be 87 points for the Democrats, down to 72. Hispanic voters, once solidly Democratic, are now basically a toss-up. And Asian Americans have moved by 32 points toward the GOP as well.”
These shifts, he said, represent a profound change since Trump first became the GOP’s leading figure, solidifying the party’s appeal to a broader array of Americans and transforming the Republican coalition.
Kornacki pointed out the reverse trend for the Democratic Party, which has increasingly attracted white voters, especially those with higher incomes and college degrees. As the Republican coalition diversified, Democrats gained support from college-educated voters and households earning more than $100,000 annually.
In a review of key swing states, Kornacki highlighted Trump’s success in securing states like Wisconsin and noted Trump’s historic achievement of winning the popular vote, a first for a Republican in 20 years. He also mentioned “giant strides” in typically blue states like California, emphasizing how Trump’s expanded voter base contributed to his overall win.
Welker confirmed that the election results are essentially finalized, though counting remains underway in some areas. “If you remember from 2020, it took about a month to get all the national popular vote,” Kornacki added, noting that California, where only 75% of ballots have been counted, will add millions of votes to the national total due to mail-in ballot delays.
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